Meadows Video adds Silk Flowers & Frames

Share this:

Kiran Sidher, owner of Meadows Video on Springs Road in Vallejo stands framed by silk flowers and frames — her newest business venture — with her original business venture — hundreds of videos — still available in the next room. (Rachel Raskin-Zrihen — Times-Herald)

You may think that video stores went the way of the dodo bird years ago, but, you’d be wrong, at least where Vallejo’s Meadows Video is concerned.

The 21-year-old movie rental store keeps being reinvented by owner Kiran Sidher, who continues adding various functions — this time a flower and frame shop. Silk Flowers & Frames holds a grand opening from 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 3, that will include coffee, donuts, raffles and prizes, Sidher said.

“We have seasonal items, like silk flowers and picture frames, some silk flower arrangements and some live succulents,” Sidher said, adding that the succulents are a special talent of her husband’s. “Right now, we have fall items.”

Frames range from about $6 to about $30; in sizes from 5-by-5 to 20-by-24, though special orders can be made, she said.

The colorful flowers and plants are the first thing one sees upon entering the store at 1830 Springs Road, but right behind them, you can see walls and shelves lined with videos to buy or rent.

“We still do videos, including new releases, for as low at $2.50 and $10 max,” she said. “A lot of people still rent. People my age — 60s and 70s — are not so good with the tech stuff and they like to rent, and we have families with children who can’t afford it otherwise, come in.”

Meadows still offers its five movies for five days for $5 on stock titles, older films, while Blu Rays are $5 each. Sidher said they have 5,000 films for sale at three for $12 or Tagalog movies at four for $10.

Meadows started in 1997, the Postal Annex was added in 2007, and Farmers Insurance in 2011 along with a mobile notary public service covering seven counties, she said.

“I was a realtor from 1997 to 2007, and this building was my first investment,” she said.

“We have the lowest copying rates in Vallejo,” she said. “People are surprised when I tell them it’s only $1 per page. Mailboxes are $120 per year, and offer a physical address where UPS and Fed Ex can deliver.”

Sidher as been a Farmers Insurance agent since 2011, specializing in business owners insurance, and that office also shares the Springs Road space.

“With 36 years in business, I can really relate to business owners,” she said.

Domino Computer Sales and Service also rents a space in the back of the building, Sidher said.

The flowers and frames component is the result of some family brainstorming, she said.

“We were looking for something that won’t spoil or go out of fashion, and came up with plants,” she said. “Plus, my husband is passionate about plants. We have more than 5,000 in our backyard.”

At the peak of the video rental boom, in the 1980s, Meadows had seven video stores, starting with a large one in Meadows Plaza — hence the name, Sidher said. They consolidated into one, in 1991, expanded to three for a time, then back to two and then to one in 2012.

“We didn’t give up because of Netflix; we restructured our business model,” she said.

With 1,000 square feet of space in the building the family bought decades ago, when the video rental business slowed down, the family needed to diversify, Sidher said.

“We kept thinking of things we can add, things that we like and that don’t require constant updating,” she said. “My husband, Raj, came up with the silk flowers idea. They’re good for gifts, they don’t spoil and they don’t go out of fashion.”

Plus, it perked up the place, she said.

“The store came back alive when we added it,” she said. “It looks more alive. Everybody is complimenting. The flowers put a smile on people’s faces.”

Angelica Frias, Sidher’s assistant who mans the counter, said she can attest to that.

“A lot of new people are coming in because they see the flowers,” she said. “People are putting plants on reserve.”

With the Times-Herald since 1999, Rachel Raskin-Zrihen has been a reporter, writer and columnist for several print and online publications for nearly 30 years. She is the married mother of two grown sons and lives locally.